A man and his wife, a dual Australian and British national, sailed off the Bahamas for a sea honeymoon, but his new wife disappeared at sea. The man has pleaded guilty to unintentional homicide in federal court.
Lewis Bennett, 41, pleaded guilty at an court hearing in Miami.
, Lewis Bennett`s three-month-old wife, Isabella Hellmann, disappeared in May 2017 and faces up to eight years in prison. U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno is due to pronounce his sentence on January 10 next year.
U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan said in a statement on Monday: "although nothing can erase the pain and suffering caused by Lewis Bennett`s criminal acts, But the U.S. Attorney`s Office and our law enforcement partners hope defendant`s plea will bring justice to justice. "
Mining engineer Bennett told the FBI and British reporters that he and his wife, Hellmann, a real estate agent in South Florida, were driving their 11-metre catamaran, Surf Into Summer, to sail in the Caribbean. They left their young daughter, Emelia, in Florida for family care.
On the return trip, Bennett sent out an emergency radio signal as the catamaran sailed across the Bahamas.
Three hours later, when the Coast Guard found him on the raft, he told rescuers that he had left Hellmann on deck and had gone into the cabin for the night.
When the boat hit something, he woke up, and when he got out of the cabin, Hellmann was gone, he said. He said he had abandoned the boat and boarded the raft because the catamaran had begun to sink.
An oath signed by Bennett and filed on court said he could not recall whether he had yelled to find his wife at the time. He didn`t fire any flares, nor did he drive a catamaran or a small boat attached to the vessel to search for Hellmann. in the water.
Nor did Bennet immediately activate any emergency equipment or use his satellite phone for help.
It was not until Bennett boarded the raft that he issued a distress signal and reported his wife`s disappearance about 45 minutes after he was awakened.
Prosecutors say Bennett is an experienced sailor who has been certified "Coastal Skipper" by the Royal Yacht Association.
He has been trained in emergency procedures, such as safety of night navigation and how to cope with personnel flooding. His wife`s HNA experience is very limited.
The coast guard finally found the ship. The FBI said it had checked the catamaran before it sank and found that the porthole below the waterline had been opened and that damage to the catamaran appeared to have been caused internally, suggesting that the ship might have been deliberately sunk.
In addition, investigators found Bennett carrying A $140000 worth of coins on his life raft that he stole from a yacht he worked on in 2016.
Bennett pleaded guilty to stealing coins and was sentenced to seven months in prison. While serving his sentence, he was charged with Hellmann`s death in February and has been held in prison.
